1. Technical Field
The invention relates to an electric rotary switch with a rotary switching unit, which is mounted in a housing and which comprises switch contacts for acting on switch contacts assigned to a base, wherein the rotary switching unit is coupled to an actuation element and interacts with means for determining switch positions.
2. Background Art
DE 40 08 248 C1 discloses an electric rotary switch with a housing; a switch part, which is held so that it can rotate in the housing, which can be brought into various switch positions by means of an actuation element, and which cooperates with switch contact parts in the housing; as well as at least one moving catch element, which is assigned to the switch part and which is acted upon by a spring element; and a catch device, which is arranged in the region of the side walls of the housing, which cooperates with the moving catch element, and which has at least two catch curves, wherein the rotary switch is constructed such that through the change in position of at least one of its components, other switch functions can be realized. The catch device is embodied such that by changing its position in the switch housing, either one catch curve or the other is assigned to at least one moving catch element. The switch part is provided with a switch body, which triggers certain switch functions in a first position, which causes different switch functions in a second position that is changed relative to the first position, and which is assigned to the switch contact parts. Two movable catch elements, which are held so that they can be displaced diametrically in a recess of the switch part and which are acted upon by the spring force of a spiral compression spring, are assigned to the catch device. This rotary switch has a relatively complex construction and requires a large amount of installation space.
Furthermore, from DE 36 02 246 C1, an electric switch, especially a rotary switch, is known, whose electric contact elements can be influenced by means of an actuation element, which is assigned, on its side, to a catch device, which comprises a catch curve and also at least one spring-loaded catch element interacting with the catch curve and which can be brought into at least one operating switch position from a catching rest switch position. The catch curve of the catch device has the shape of a logarithmic spiral of a definite type.
Furthermore, DE 198 12 251 C2 shows an electric rotary switch with a housing, which holds stationary and movable electric contact elements and which comprises a base part and a cover part, and with at least one switch part, which can be rotated in the housing by means of an actuation element into several different switch positions and which cooperates with the movable contact elements in the housing, wherein at least one plate-like cam disk, whose cams, when actuated, can be brought into contact with plungers arranged so that they can move in the housing and which are in direct contact, on the other side, with at least one of the movable electric contact elements, is provided on at least the switch part mounted so that it can move in the housing. The plungers can be guided only in the longitudinal direction on the movable contact elements due to guide recesses in the base part of the housing and the plungers to be actuated by the cams are formed by means of thin, flexible connecting pieces as integral components hinged to a control disk.